Aetherys
by TNSWV
Summary: A story about a Dragon and a girl. Follows the girls life as we get to know the characters for the first few chapters in prologues. I'll add more to this as the story progresses, but this will be an adventure story following almost everyday along the way after the prologues. Not necessarily following any fan base or anything here.
1. Chapter 1

Aetherys

 **Prologue pt.1**

Bracken was flying over the massive pine trees that made up the forest surrounding the village of Llyn. A small town, mainly home to loggers with a small fishing market with the lake at the north side. He had been staying in a nearby cave in the mountains for the past four years. He was planning on moving on in the next month or so to the east because the people here had begun to sniff around near his living space, looking for him. It wasn't a big deal though. The humans wouldn't be able to get up to the cave without climbing the mountain. Bracken had just left, preferring to hunt at night to avoid being seen when he heard a couple gun shots ring out. Turning and heading in that direction, he started to hear yelling. Good he thought to himself. Whenever he heard hunters firing of shots, he would swoop in and take whatever they had killed or had been attempting to kill. It made for an easy meal at least and scaring them off wasn't ever a challenge. He neared the source of the sounds and landed nearby. Creeping up on the unsuspecting humans, Bracken watched the scene before him. In a small clearing surrounding the road, he saw a cart pulled by a horse. The front wheel on this side was broken and stuck in a large hole. The people were definitely not hunters. There was a man with a pistol and a large bottle of what reeked like alcohol, and a woman who seemed like she was attempting to calm him down. Without any warning the man spun and struck the woman with the back of his hand, sending her to the ground. Bracken tensed as the man began yelling at her. His words were a slurred mixture of curses and grunts. The man was very intoxicated. Bracken was confused as to what was causing this violence. He had seen the effects of alcohol many times before on his trips to the village. Boisterous, yes like the man but not anger. The people he always saw were singing in the streets, laughing with friends. This man was anything but that.

He hears a knocking coming from the cart. His eyes widen when he sees a little girl, no older than three banging on the window of the door, her yelling and crying muffled by the barrier. The woman got up slowly, clutching her face as blood trickled out of her nose, and rushed to the door to the cart. She opened the door a crack and tried to quiet the girl saying to go back and lay down, telling her everything would be alright. The man, hearing this goes back and slams the door to the cart back shut and pushes the woman to the ground yelling at her to start fixing the wheel. The woman starts pleading with the man, still using a soft voice trying to clam him, saying they don't have the tools, or a spare. The man trows the bottle against the side of the cart, peppering the lady in shattered glass and soaking the door with the drink. The man bends down and grabs a fist full of the woman's hair and begins his raving and yelling again. She puts up her hand to hide her face as the other goes to the mans hand holding the hair, trying to lessen the pain and make him let go. The woman sobs, begging the man to stop, but his hand goes back becoming a fist.

Bracken decides enough is enough and rushes into the clearing, letting out a roar to scare the man back. Startled, he lets go of the woman and grabs a torch off the side of the cart. The man starts yelling at Bracken trying to get him to back off. He shoots a ball of fire into the sky, making the man stumble back and fire his gun at Bracken's shoulder. He rushes the man and knocks him to the ground, pinning him and sending the torch rolling to the cart. The liquid on the door ignites, beginning to burn the cart. Bracken hears the lady yell to stop. He looks up and sees the spreading fire. The man tries to lift his arm to fire another round at Bracken but the dragon pushes his arm back into the dirt. The pistol goes off to the side and he hears the lady gasp in pain and sees her fall to the ground. Bracken growls and grabs the mans shoulder in his mouth, throwing him into some bushes at the edge of the clearing.

The woman yells for help as she crawls to the other side of the blazing cart to open the other door. Bracken rushes over and grabs the door and rips it off it's hinges. He sees the girl lying motionless on the floor through the thick smoke pouring out. He quickly grabs the girl and the woman in both his arms and rushes on his back legs to safety away from the fire. He sets the woman down on the grass and places the little girl beside her. The woman, still crying, looks over her daughter to make sure she's alright. She lets out a sigh of relief and a small smile comes to her face when she sees her breathing. And feeling her heart beat steadily. Bracken, still in a defensive posture around the females, feels a small hand on his back right leg, trying to get his attention. He turns around, worry heavy on his face when he see the amount of blood soaking the woman's shirt, her hand clutching the wound where the bullet pierced her. Bracken knew how fragile humans were, how easy they could die. He knew the woman in front of him would not be leaving the clearing. Bracken purred, giving the woman his full attention.

"I know I'm not walking away from this," the woman gave a small smile to him as she continued, "please, take my daughter away from here."

Bracken looked down to the small child, still unconscious, lying beside her mother. The woman placed a soft hand under his chin, bring his head back up to meet her gaze. "There's an orphanage in the next town over to the west where I grew up. She will be safe there".

Bracken gave a small nod as the woman laid back down and took one last look into her daughters face, placing a hand on her small cheek and brushing the brown hair out of her eyes. The lids over her own closed as the spirit left her body. Bracken stared at the woman for what felt like ages but was only a few seconds. Picking up the woman, he brought her to the cart fire and placed her body in the blaze. Stepping back he blew more fire into what was left of the cart, making it burn higher.

Bracken walked back to the girl lying in the grass. He would have to take her to the village in his human form. He began to transform in a bright flash of blue, standing on his two back legs. Everything defining his appearance in his true dragon form translated to how he looked as a human. His thick black hair falling to his shoulders, and his bright blue eyes the colour of the days sky that gave off a faint glow. He still had long sharp canine teeth but they were hidden behind his lips. His arms and waist had patches of black scales over his pale skin, with a line all down his spine starting at his neck. His legs were almost unchanged except for their size and bone structure. They were still completely covered in black scales including his three-toed feet ending in long claws. The knuckles on his hands had scales as well but they were mainly human, just missing a finger on each. His human form always had black leather armour on, resembling his natural skin as a dragon. He was skinny compared to others as a human, though the muscles covering him still held the same strength as their much larger equivalents when in his true form. Even though he was much older than any other human, his body looked to be around 20 to 25. He was very young compared to other dragons.

Finishing adjusting the straps on his armour, and brushing the hair out of his eyes, he bent down to feel for the girls heartbeat. It was slow but steady and healthy. He picked up the girl in his arms and started the hike to Llyn. It wasn't far, maybe an hours walk.

Bracken knew the area like the back of his hand, so to speak. He mapped out the area in a week when he first arrived. He'd been on his own for so long, he had gotten used to doing everything by himself and that meant a lot of work preparing a cave to be used as a den. He would scout an area for at least a month noting the habits, and daily rituals of any inhabitants in nearby towns. He didn't want to set up shop in a place already visited to by humans. He needed it hidden. There was no way dragons could ever approach humans in their true form. 'Act first, ask questions later' he remembered his father telling him once, describing the people, warning him that they will never trust what they do not understand.

Bracken knew his species probably seemed like 'giant flying beasts, forged by the gods to rip the flesh of your bones'. He laughed to himself, remembering listening to a villager trying explain his race to a young child in the market once. He only wished they weren't so misunderstood. He found humans fascinating. A people who rushed around their entire lives because of how short their time on this world was. But because of this fast living style, they had accomplished so much, built cities that dominated the landscape, conquered every problem that was brought to them. They needed to get across a sea, so they built a boat. They needed a faster way to transport goods and people, so the tamed and trained wild animals. It was amazing. They had a long way to go to reach his own peoples level of society but with how many humans were alive in this world and how they worked together so well, Bracken knew they would get there eventually, maybe even withing his lifetime. He couldn't imagine only living barely a century like the humans though. Hardly any time to accomplish anything on a personal level.

It was because of his extended life that Bracken had spent the last thirty years being a loner. Spending time on his own, doing what he wanted, when he wanted to. Not having to rely on anyone just made his life easier. He'd spent his entire life before he left his pack at his fathers side, being heir to the throne. He'd had to learn everything about leading and what it took to be a great and fair king, one the people both respected and loved. His father was a kind man, the dragons of Aetherys were at peace because of him. He was amazing, he knew everyone under his protection. He regularly walked through the streets without guard just to say hello to anyone who would stop to talk. He was something Bracken could never be. He didn't have his fathers ability to just radiate happiness wherever he went. When Bracken left the pack, he had a long discussion with his father about what Brackens plan was for the future and what he would be doing when it was time to take his place as ruler of their kingdom. Bracken didn't want the throne. He wanted it to go to his younger brother, Eirik. They always joked that Eirik was the literal replica of their father when they were children. They were exactly the same, and Bracken knew he would make an amazing king just like his father before him. His father agreed, though with a hint of disappointment to his voice he gave Bracken his clearance to leave on the condition that he return soon.

Thirty years later, Bracken still wasn't ready to head back home. He missed his family but being alone in the wild learning everything he could about the humans was just too exciting.

His attention was brought back down to the child in his arms when she stirred a little. At least she was still ok. He had been walking for nearly an hour and he was already starting to feel the effects of staying a human for an extended time. The transformation always took a large amount of energy and staying in this form for a long time just drained him even more. It wasn't just a problem for Bracken, dragons just couldn't use this magic for long. He saw the gates ahead through the trees and breathed a sigh of relief.

Passing through the gates, he nodded to the two guards at their posts. They remembered him from his many visits here. It was deep into the night now so all the funny people were in the streets, again singing songs and talking way too loud outside the taverns. Just a usual night in Llyn. Taking a back alley to avoid anyone too drunk, he came across a small apartment with a light on. Looking through a window, he saw a family sitting around a table laughing, playing some sort of game. Bracken took a deep breath. His English was good. He had a lot of practice listening to the humans for so long but he didn't know what he was going to say to these people. He needed to ask where the orphanage was but he needed a story. He needed a reason to why he was asking. He decided to tell them a part truth. He would tell them he happened upon the burning cart and found her and her dying mother. He would tell them she told him to bring the child to the orphanage in town. But he would tell them the scene looked like the remains of a dragon attack. It would arouse the least suspicion as stories of these attacks were quite common. False, but common.

Bracken realized his story wasn't far from the truth at all. If he had let the man shoot him, the mother might still be alive. Or if Bracken had taken the gun away earlier on, none of this would have happened. His heart ached after thinking about that for a while but he forced his emotions down. He would take the girl to the orphanage and move on. He knocked on the door. His hearing was still good as a human as he heard the laughing stop and the man telling his family to get away from the door. Bracken heard the locks disengaging and saw the face of the man from the table, his face no longer full of joy. There was a very serious face plastered on the man. A face that told bracken there was no trust in this conversation.

"I'm sorry to bother you sir, I just needed directions to the orphanage". Bracken opened.

The man looked confused for a second until he looked down to see the girl in Brackens arms. The man tossed something on the ground beside him and opened the door wider.

"Please, please, come inside, hurry".

Bracken stepped through the door and saw the mans family hiding over by the fire.

"It's ok Anna, he needs to know where to find Proudspire", the man said, a hint of worry to his voice.

"Oh dear", the woman Bracken assumed was Anna came to stand in front of Bracken, ushering him to a chair at the table as her and the man took a seat at others. "Please, tell us what's going on. Whose the girl? A sister?"

"No, no", bracken began quickly, "I don't know her. I was on my way here when I came across a burning cart at the side of the road. I heard crying coming from the bushes at the edge of a clearing and found her and her mother. She asked me to bring her here to the orphanage before she died. She said she'd be safe here, said she grew up in town", Bracken looked down to the girls face, "the girl's been passed out the entire time".

The man and lady exchanged a worried glance. "Do you have any idea what could have caused this", the woman asked.

Here we go, Bracken thought to himself. "I didn't see it, but I've seen a dragon attack before", he sighed "the scorch marks all over the ground are similar".

The man closed his eyes and sighed while the womans went wide with a gasp. "I'm sorry, but the orphanage shut down three years ago", the woman began, looking to the man. So that's why Bracken didn't know about it. "But we'd be happy to help anyway we can".

The man nodded, "We can hold onto her. Home may not look like much, but we have plenty of room for another", he gave Bracken a reassuring smile. Looking around the bottom floor, he didn't necessarily agree. There was the table they sat at in the middle of the room. The fireplace had a small pot over it for cooking food with a little counter beside probably meant for preparing that food. There were a few cupboards on the opposite wall, probably storing everything the family owned that wasn't already out for show. The room was already feeling a bit cramped with Bracken here. There were stairs beside the door running along the wall that led to what Bracken assumed would be the bedroom, and judging by the bottom floor, it was indeed, just one bedroom for all four of the family members.

"I can't ask you to do that. I can just head over to the next town..." Bracken began but the woman put up her hand.

"No, really. We don't mind. And I'm sure the boys love to have a sister", Bracken turned to look at the boys, still by the fireplace behind him. The older one, probably around 5, gave a toothy smile and a quick nod of his head while the younger one, looking the same age as the girl in his arms, just stared blankly at him. Bracken smiled, trying his best to reassure the young boy.

"You're sure" Bracken asked, turning back to the parents.

"Of course", the man smiled and stuck out his hand, Bracken took it and accepted the human shake. "I'm Jon, this is my wife Anna, and our two sons, the older one, Joseph, and the younger one, Dominic".

"Bracken, I don't know her name though. Her mother never told me..." Bracken looked down to the child in his arms, still asleep.

"how long has she been out", Anna asked.

"Almost two hours. I don't expect her to be awake until morning".

"You're welcome to spend the night, You can see her and talk to her then", Jon started by Bracken didn't want to be here for that.

"Thankyou, but it'll be easier to say you found her instead of me. Tell her what happened but leave me out of it", Bracken figured if Jon pretended to have rescued her, the girl in his arms would be quicker to place her trust in this family. Him being around would only complicate things.

"You're sure", Anna began, "She would be so grateful..."

"Exactly. Her trust will be much easier to come by if I'm not involved", Bracken interrupted. He stood and offered the girl to Anna who carefully took her. "I need to be off. I cannot thank you enough", He nodded to the parents in front of him.

Jon stood and placed his hand on Brackens shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll take good care of her", he smiled.

Bracken nodded and turned to the door. He looked down and saw a knife sticking out of the floor board. Turning back to Jon, he gave him a questioning look.

"Sorry, I didn't know who was knocking at the door. I protect my family", Jon stated, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Good", Bracken said giving him a small smile. He turned and opened the door, walking outside.

"Bracken wait", Jon called coming to the doorway, "If there's anything we can do for you, anything at all, you know where to find us".

Bracken smiled, turned again and left. Jon stood in the doorway watching him leave until he couldn't see him anymore as he turned the corner.

Bracken found the nearest inn and paid for a night in their largest room. Tired from being in this form, he walked up the stairs and found his door. Opening it, the first thing he noticed was that the 'largest' room they had was anything but. He pushed the bed up against the far wall and put the small table and chair on top of it, clearing space in the small room. He went back to the door and locked it. Bracken returned to the center of the room, looking around. It would be cramped but it would do until morning. Kneeling down, he was once again surrounded in a bright blue light as his body grew. His armour and skin melded back into the black hide covering his body. The black fur on his head growing longer and spreading along his back around his large chest, down the back of his arms,and to his nose, forming his thick mane. His long tail began to grow, sprouting fur at the tip. His arms and legs began to expand, the muscles growing large, showing the true power they held. Bracken dropped to all fours as the large claws sprouted at the tips of each of his four fingers. His nose grew longer with his sharp teeth and his pointed ears became larger. The last to come were his wings. Sprouting from his shoulders, they were black, like the rest of his body. His eyes glowed brighter as the transformation was completed.

The floor creaked, adjusting to the new weight it was now holding. Bracken laid down in the small space, resting his head on his front paws. He closed his eyes and thought about the girl. He would stay and keep an eye on her for a while, watching the family. He trusted Jon and Anna. He could tell they were good people and would stand by their word to take care of the child. However, Jons reaction with the dagger at the door worried him. Bracken assumed they must be in some kind of trouble if Jon would be so afraid of who might be knocking at the door. No, Bracken would keep an eye on the family for protection. He wouldn't let anything happen to them. Soon after, he fell into a deep sleep, his exhaustion finally taking over.


	2. Chapter 2

**Prologue pt.2**

"Get out the way boy!"

Bracken looked back to see a large man, flanked by two others. All three were built like they had been born to break bone. Their arms and legs strongly resembling the tree trunks outside Llyn. The necks attached to their massive chests were holding up near- perfectly square, bald heads.

Bracken smiled, stepping to the side to let them pass into the market beyond. He slipped back into the alley he was watching from. Bracken turned his attention back to the man buying potatoes from the local farmer at his stall. He had been watching Jon and his family for nearly three years now. On more than a few occasions, he had to take action to prevent someone being hurt, but he always made sure it was quiet. He didn't want to be seen by anyone, especially not Jon or Anna. They hadn't seen him since he dropped the child off at their house three years ago. From what he could gather, the girls name was Alice. She got on well with the family after some time together, though Bracken would sometimes see her run off on her own to cry in a small alley or outside town in the forest. Usually she would stick with Joseph and Dominic, playing by the lake with the other children in town or tag in the woods. Her mother, turns out was a childhood friend of Annas though she hadn't seen her since her family moved to the next town when business became bad with their wheat farm. It was good for Alice. Having someone with her that had a strong connection to her mother. Anna would help Alice through the memories when they hit hardest.

Lost in thought, Bracken nearly missed Jon getting led by the three men out of the market down a side street towards the gates. 'Damn it' he thought to himself as he quickly made to follow them. He watched them leave out of the village through the gates and into the forest. Running to the wall at the border of the village, Bracken began to climb, finding footholds where the bricks were missing. At the top, he spotted Jon through the bushes, he jumped into one of the nearby trees, grabbing a branch to stand up. He silently hopped through the dense trees, trying to get closer.

Right above the men, Bracken crouched and listened.

"Boss is gettin real tired of your shit Smout", the leader warned Jon, "give us the money you owe and tell us who you're working with".

"Wha-what're you talking about? I paid you two weeks ago", Jon started, being backed into a tree, "And I don't know who you're talking about! I'm not working with anyone".

"Don't give us that bullshit Smout" the leader threw his accusing finger in Jons face, bringing his own closer. "Every time we collect, our men get jumped! Knocked out before they can see anything! We haven't recovered a single coin from you for the past three years". Bracken tensed, the thugs had connected the dots. He had been robbing them every time Jon had gone to pay. They were local thieves, demanding money for protection. If you didn't pay, you were on the top of their hit list, no matter how little you had. Bracken had stopped them from breaking into the Smouts' home multiple times because whenever he had taken Jons money back, Bracken would slip it back into his pocket by the end of the day.

"I don't know what you mean! I pay you and leave", Jons eyes were wide, knowing these men weren't going to accept his innocence. They came for information and they were going to get it, one way or another.

One of the thugs had moved behind Jon and took out a knife. Before Bracken had any time to react, he plunged it into Jons thigh. Jon tried to yell out in pain but the leader in front of him covered his mouth.

Deciding it was time to take action, Bracken dropped from the tree, falling thirty feet before landing on a thugs shoulders, breaking the mans neck with his arms. Before the other two even realized what happened, Bracken jumped from the dead mans shoulders, lunging and swinging a powerful kick to the back of the leaders ankle. The blow sent him air born for a split second before Bracken spun, keeping momentum and bringing his fist down on the mans chest. He landed on his back hard, Ribs breaking where Brackens hand bought him to the ground. The last man, finally coming out of his surprised trance, threw Jon to the ground out of the way, ripping the knife out of his leg. He raised the knife and lunged at Bracken who stood and grabbed the mans arm, easily dodging the sloppy advance. He pinned the hand with the knife behind the mans back and wrapped his free arm around his thick neck in the process. Bracken spared a glance at Jon, checking if he was alright. Jon stared at Bracken with eyes full of shock and fear. Bringing his attention back to the man at his mercy, Bracken twisted his lower body to face the opposite direction and flipped the thug over his hip, sending him head over heals to the ground. The man tried to quickly crawl away from Bracken but he grabbed his leg, dragging his body back so he could look him straight in the eye.

"You understand what happened here", Bracken asked, putting his knee on the mans chest, bringing his own face inches away from the thugs. "Next time I see you or anyone else in your organization threatening the lives of the people in this town, there won't be any survivors to warn the others".

Bracken stood, lifting his knee off the mans chest so he could scramble away. He watched him run back to town until he couldn't hear his quick footsteps any longer. Bracken returned to Jon who still hadn't said a single word, still staring in shock.

"Is your leg ok to stand on? We need to get you back home", Bracken said, kneeling next to Jon.

"Bracken, wh-how-what was..." Jon stuttered.

"Jon", Bracken interrupted, "Is your leg ok to stand on".

Jon stared at Bracken, searching his eyes for a few seconds before responding. "Yeah, I suppose so".

"Good, let's go", Bracken said as he gave his friend a reassuring smile. He grabbed Jons arm to bring it around his shoulders to help him stand up. "Before you start asking any questions, let's just get back to the house. You can think about what you want to say on our way back".

"Ok", Jon agreed, "Anna should be home and the kids should be out right now".

"I know", Bracken said under his breath. Jon gave him a questioning look.

The walk back to town was slow. Bracken had to half carry Jon but the weight didn't bother him. He even offered to carry him completely but Jon turned him down, saying he could manage. Arriving at the door, Jon knocked.

"Anna it's me, unlock the door". Bracken could hear quick footsteps coming down the stairs before the locks disengaged and the door opened allowing the pair entrance.

"Oh gods Jon! What happened" Anna quickly went to the table, grabbing two chairs and placing them in front of the fire. Bracken eased Jon onto one while he lifted his leg up on the other. Anna just looked into Brackens face, realizing who their visitor was. "Bracken! What's going on? What happened? Who did..." Anna began, frantically spouting questions.

"I'll tell you both what you want to know in a second, Anna", Bracken interrupted, "But first, Jon needs something done for his leg".

Anna slowly nodded before turning and rushing to the cupboards against the far wall. "Ok... Ok. Umm... well we don't have much but we've got the basics".

"It's not bad", Jon stated, the cringe on his face betraying his words.

"I'll still have to stitch it up Jon. Anna, do you have string that will work? And a needle", Bracken asked, looking back to the woman.

"Umm... I migh-Yes! Here! And alcohol for cleaning". Anna rushed back to back over, handing Bracken a knife which he used to cut Jons pant leg off, above the wound. He threw the knife into the wall beside him, as he took the scrap of clothing to wipe away any blood that remained. He took the bottle from Anna, warning Jon of the pain to follow, and unstopped the bottle, letting it clean out the cut. The knife that impaled his leg wasn't long but when it was roughly pulled out, it widened the incision. Jon had his teeth clenched and eyes shut tight when Bracken took the bottle away. He grabbed a clean towel from the counter beside him and wiped the cut clean one more time before accepting the string and needle from Anna. He stitched up Jons leg and wrapped a bandage around it. Anna cleaned up, throwing the pant leg away and tossing the rag upstairs. Bracken leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes, resting for a moment before Jon spoke up.

"I'm sorry Bracken, but we need answers", Jon began, sighing, "What's going on".

"Who gave you that gash dear" Anna asked quietly, sitting in the remaining chair. Jon gave a Bracken a knowing look.

"It appears someone has been playing hero against the guild", Jon said, still looking at Bracken, "Apparently for the last three years any coin I pay them has been ending right back in my pocket. Today, three of their goons came up to me in the market, dragging me to the woods. They demanded I tell them who I was working with".

Anna spared a glance at Bracken as well. "How'd you escape".

"Great question Anna. As luck would have it, there just so happened to be a lunatic hiding in the trees, watching over the conversation", Jon looked to Anna now, "Short story even shorter, two guild members are dead and one needs a new pair of trousers", Bracken gave a soft chuckle as Jon frowned at him. "How'd you do it", his tone was deadly serious.

"You saw how. You were there", Bracken began.

"Don't give me that bullshit", Jon interrupted, raising his voice. "Who the hell are you? You and I both know damn well a kid your age wouldn't be able to land a single hit on any of those thugs before getting their asses planted in the ground".

Bracken looked up to meet Jons gaze and started to respond when the door opened. Laughter poured into the room as Joseph, Dominic and Alice walked in. The first to look up was Joseph, eyes going wide and feet stopping in their tracks when he saw Bracken. He threw a quick, nervous glance at Alice.

"Kids! What are you doing home so soon", Anna asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"It's raining outside so everyone decided to turn in early", Alice gave a toothy smile, still chuckling at the same joke from before they came inside. " Who's that", She asked pointing at Bracken.

"Oh just a friend from out of town", Jon stated a bit too quickly. "Do you guys mind waiting outside a little longer? You should be protected from the rain in the alley".

"Sure dad", giving his dad a knowing look. "Come on guys".

Alice met Brackens eyes once more before they left, closing the door behind them.

"Bracken", Anna said, laying a hand on his knee to get his attention, "Why are you here".

Bracken stared at her for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. "When I dropped her off three years ago, I decided I would keep an eye out. Not on you, I knew you were honest people and would do your best taking care of Alice. I stayed for all of you. Jon, your reaction at the that night worried me about what kind of trouble you could be in. I wanted to protect Alice, and that meant protecting her family". Guilt started to overtake him as he muttered, "I wasn't to let anything happen this time".

Jon gave Anna an uneasy look before asking, "What do you mean? There's nothing you could have done about the attack on her parents".

Bracken looked up and met Jons eyes. "It's nothing", he said, standing up. "I should get going".

Jon grabbed Brackens arm, Making him turn back around. "Bracken, I'm grateful for what you've done for our family", he began, lowering his gaze as well as his voice as he continued, "But the guilds gonna come for you. They won't take this insult lying down. You need to get out of this town. I'll deal with them".

Bracken smiled, placing his hand on Jons, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. They won't bother you guys anymore as long as I'm standing". He went to the door, heading out but stopped at the threshold. "I'll be seeing you both sometime soon". With that, Bracken left, closing the door. He looked to the right and saw the children. Alice noticed him and ran over, giving the same toothy smile she gave Anna.

"What were you and da talkin about", she leaned in closer covering the side of her mouth with a hand. "Don't worry, you can tell me. Ma says I'm super mature".

Bracken chuckled at her. "Nothing important", he said bending down to her level. "Just stopping in to say hi. You're dad and I used to know each other when we were younger".

"You don't look that old", she countered.

"That's because your dad looks like an old man with all that grey hair". Bracken smiled as Alice laughed. "I need to get going though. The house is free to go back in if you wanted".

"Okidokey! It was great meeting you", she stuck out her hand. Smooth kid he thought to himself.

"Bracken", he said, giving he hand a shake.

"Alice", she said smiling. She turned and started heading back to her brothers. "I'll see you later Bracken". He chuckled and walked to the corner of the alley and turned, heading to the gates.

The past three years had been exhausting, needing to be in human form for at least 4 hours nearly everyday, watching over the Smout family.

Once he was far enough away, he transformed and headed back to his cave in the mountains. He stayed low, skimming the treetops to avoid being seen. He knew Jon was right about the guild. They would want revenge and now that they knew who to look for, it wouldn't be long before they found him. Bracken would try to slowly lower their numbers. Picking off stragglers and any that went out on their own so that when the time came for a final confrontation, the fight would be simple. All he needed to do was lead them deep enough into the forest where he could transform without being seen. He would show them what a real dragon attack looked like.

 **NOTES**

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! So since the summary section is kinda small, I decided to add any notes I have down here at the end! So this story isn't really following any kind of fan-base or whatever, it's just something I randomly started. Now when I say random I truly mean it. Lets start by saying the last thing that I wrote that could even be considered a story was like 5 years ago in grade 10. It was a two page, 500 word short story for a project... yeah, I don't write things. With that being said, I would love to hear what you think! It's probably not amazing so that's where you come in! Write some reviews! Spread the word! Anything and everything will be helpful!

Let me clear up some possible confusion about what this is about. This isn't the main story yet, this is just a super long prologue, building up the characters. There's probably going to be one more part (maybe two depending on how the next one finishes) for the beginning before the actual chapters. This story is going to be loooong because I'm just forming it as I go. Literally zero planning. That might turn people away but it's how I work. I've got ideas in my head where its heading but I don't put them to paper because I'm always adding too them, which explains the super long chapters. This story will be taken to a lost island where Alice has joined up with a crew of pirates to help pay off her fathers dept (Jon not the d bag in the first chapter) to the thieves guild (and yes that's from The Elder Scrolls).

But yeah that's where the main story will take place.

Updates will be every 2 to 3 days and not on weekends. That's when I go back home from college where my internet sucks.

Keep being awesome guys! And remember to comment! It helps me to improve my writing as I'm sure there are an unbelievable amount of errors all over this.

TNSWV


	3. Chapter 3

**Prologue pt.3**

Bracken is in the chasm again, surround by fire. All he can hear through the blaze are the screams of pain. A shadow steps through the fire on top of a large rock outcropping above him. The man is scarred, his face burnt, no longer able to be recognized.

"Where is she Bracken", the man shouts. Bracken merely growls in response, barring his sharp teeth. "Now now", the burnt man continues, "that's not very kind of you. We're almost family now after all". Bracken had been reliving this vision for nearly three years. Always the same thing, but he could never figure out what the man meant by that statement. His family would never seek to do harm to him.

The man jumped down off his perch, landing in front of Bracken. The drop would likely break a normal humans legs. "Come on, you know Where Alice is. I need her. All this can disappear if you just hand her over". When the man said her name, Bracken filled with rage. He wanted this man dead, though Bracken wasn't sure why.

"She's gone! I sent her back to the mainland", the words slipped freely from his mouth. Bracken had no control in this dream. He could feel the emotions, hear the sounds and smell the burning flesh, but he could only watch it all unfold. He was here to observe.

"You think I'm going to fall for for that..." the mans voice trailed off as Bracken began hearing hushed whispers in it's place. This was new. The voices stopped and the man's returned. "...ships are gone Bracken! I made sure of that. Give her to me or I'll have to use you instead". When the man finished, a girl yelled, leaping from one of the caves that were splitting off from the main chamber. She had two daggers aimed down at the man, her piercing green eyes, full of hate, would put fear into the hearts of men. The man spun to intercept her as Bracken rushed forwards. When the girl and the man came into contact, Brackens vision went white and his ears were ringing. He felt his back hit hard against the cave wall behind him.

Bracken awoke with a start, head shooting up and hitting the rocks above him. Groaning, he lowered it back down slowly and brought a paw up to rub away the throbbing pain.

"Shhh... did you hear that", Brackens eyes went wide when he heard a whisper outside his cave. He didn't have much time. He quickly got up and rushed around, gathering everything he didn't want to lose to the thieves and piling it into a corner.

"Hurry, he's awake". They were getting closer. When he had everything in the corner, Bracken stepped back and let loose a jet of flame, burning all of it. It was mainly maps from around the area and from places he'd been which turned to ash instantly, but he also had weapons. The extreme heat from the blast had fused the metal together, rendering them useless.

"Holy shit! Go! Go! Go! Get up there".

Bracken transformed and ran to the entrance of the cave, not waiting for the change to be complete. The first thieves had reached the lip of the cave, climbing inside. Bracken shouldered past anyone in his way as he reached the edge of the cliff and jumped off. He fell for what seemed like ages before coming into contact with a tree, his body breaking branches on his way to the ground. He latched on to a thicker one that was able to hold his weight and stop his decent. He dropped from branch to branch until he reached the ground. He sprinted through the trees, jumping over shrubs and logs, making his way to Llyn. Bracken didn't slow down because he knew the hunt would continue until they had a body. Reaching the gates, Bracken took a hard right, running down the alleys until he arrived at a door and knocked.

"Jon, Anna, it's Bracken". The door opened quickly and shut behind him. Bracken limped over to the fire and collapsed in front of it.

"What's going on? What happened", Anna began, kneeling down beside him.

"Just got discovered by the guild. I ran here as fast as I could", Bracken let out, taking a deep breath, "They found my hideout in the mountains".

"You ran all the way from there? You must be exhausted", Anna said, rising to get Bracken some water.

"You have no idea", he muttered. Bracken had been fighting constantly against the guild for two years, ever since he had saved Jon in the forest. There had been no trouble with the citizens as all the guilds resources and recruits had been used on him. They had tired him out, made him sloppy. Bracken scolded himself for allowing them to find his cave so easily. He would need to change his plan. It wouldn't be long before they tracked him back to town and searched him out. Bracken had wanted to take out more of the guilds members before taking the fight to whatever remained but they played smart, only leaving their den to re-stock and they never went anywhere in teams under five. Bracken wasn't able to accomplish much against the guild, as they always outnumbered him. He would've been able to take them on in their packs, but he didn't want to involve any innocent people. Bracken wouldn't let any harm come to the citizens on his behalf. Anna returned with the water and Bracken accepted it, downing it quickly.

"So what do you think you're going to do", Anna asked, looking worried. Bracken smiled. He had become close to the Smout family over the years, even the children.

"I don't know", Bracken began quietly. "The plans I had won't be as easy to pull off, now that they know where I've been living. I can't go back there". The thieves would surely be keeping guard over his cave, scouting it out, waiting for him to return.

"You can hide out here Bracken". He was about to argue but Anna put a hand up. "We have a trapdoor under the rug over there", she pointed to the far side of the room by the cupboards. "Leads to the basement. Not much down there so there's lots of room for you to sleep". Bracken looked at her for a second. Did she know? He shook his head, he was being too paranoid. No one had seen his true form. He doubted these people even knew dragons could transform into humans.

"They're going to be looking for me, and once they track me back to town, they'll come straight here. I can't put your family in danger", Bracken countered. He knew it wouldn't be long until the thieves were at the door, demanding information.

"Bracken", Anna placed a hand on his shoulder. "Please, you've done so much for us. You're practically family. Let us help you". Smiling, Bracken searched her eyes. She wasn't going to let up and he knew it was the safest course for him.

"Ok", he sighed. "But not for long. I'm going to end this as soon as possible", Bracken promised her. "Now where's Jon? I'm going to tell him what's happened so there's no surprises when he gets home". Bracken stood, turning to the door.

"He's in the market", she began but quickly rushed to him and added, "but you can't go out there! Wait for this to cool down".

"I'll be fine Anna. They'll still be looking around my old hideout", Bracken assured her as he started opening the door.

"Well at least take this". She grabbed a brown cloak from the wall. "It'll hide you a bit better, and it'll put my mind more at ease".

Bracken chuckled, grabbing the cloak. "Fine, fine, but only because it makes you feel better".

"Make sure you hurry", Anna said, fixing the cape around his shoulders. "I don't want you out there in the first place".

Bracken smiled, saying goodbye. He made his way down the alley and turned the corner, making his way to the market at the centre of town. He took it slow, watching out for anyone from the guild. He stuck to the shadows, arriving at the edge of the market, scouting out the area. Bracken cautiously took a step forward, sensing the coast was clear. Spotting Jon, he made his way to the far side, sticking close to as many crowds as possible. As he neared his friend, Bracken heard a commotion coming from each of the main roads leading away from the market. Shouting and screams of panic hit his ears as he saw large groups of thieves coming towards him. Bracken started walking faster, trying to get to Jon as quickly as he could. Bracken reached his destination, grabbing Jons arm and turning him around. Alice was standing next to him. Bracken froze in fear, Jons voice muffled in his head as he stared Alice in the eyes.

"Bracken", Jon said louder, waving his hand in front of his friends face, trying to get his attention.

"Sorry", Bracken said, shaking the fear from his body. "We need to get out of here. The guild's on their way right now".

Jon looked confused for a second. Bracken looked over the mans shoulder and saw the first of the thugs breaking through the crowd. He pointed to them, shouting to his many allies.

Bracken shoved Jon aside as an arrow came flying. It hit Bracken in his left shoulder, where Jons opposite had been less than a second before.

"GO", Bracken yelled, dragging Jon and Alice across the market, through the panicking crowd. He ripped the arrow from his body, just in time to tackle a guild member to the ground. He plunged the arrow into one of the mans eyes. He quickly got up and led Jon and Alice into a nearby alley. He felt an arrow hit him in his lower back on the right side. They weren't getting deep thanks to his tough armour and skin. They turned a corner and ran into another mercenary. Bracken pushed his friends out of the way as he charged his enemy, bringing his foot up to land a hard hit to the mans chest, dropping him instantly. They got to a door and Bracken forced it open. He ushered his friends inside.

"Hide and do NOT open this door for anyone", Bracken commanded. Jon nodded and closed the door. Bracken ripped the arrow from his back and hid up against the wall at the corner of the buildings, waiting. A few guild members rushed past, heading to the gates while one turned into his alley. Bracken shoved the arrow into the mans throat and used his limp body as a shield from the sword strike that was aimed for his stomach. He pushed the body in his arms against the small horde of thieves, trying to advance. He bought himself some time, knocking some of the men to the ground, creating a living blockade. Bracken backed up and knelt. He didn't have a choice, he transformed in a bright flash of blue. With the transformation complete, he reared his large head back and let loose a jet of white hot flame, killing anyone in his path. Movement brought Brackens attention to a window to his right. Sitting in it was Jon and Alice. They were looking at the dragon in front of them, seeing Bracken for what he truly was. Alice covered her mouth and began to cry, while Jon pulled her away out of sight. Dread filled Brackens heart when he realized Alice had just seen her parents murderer for the first time in five years. He needed to end this. If he could be rid of the guilds threat once and for all, then maybe he could explain himself. Maybe there was still hope.

Bracken transformed back into a human and ran for the docks. After scouting the town for so long, he knew that was the best bottle-neck, and if all else failed, he had escape routes. He fled through the streets, trying to alert as many guild members as possible, hopefully leading them to their deaths. Arriving at the gate to the docks, he looked around and saw two ships coming into the port. Brackens hope fell when he saw the flags, each with the guilds emblem, waving in the wind. Knowing he couldn't fight the battle on two fronts, Bracken ran to the end of the dock where the warehouse stuck out of the water. He charged through the opening at the front and locked the door behind him. Looking around, he saw only one other entry point. There was a small dock inside the building that small row boats could enter for quick access to drop off their fish and be off again. A wonderful convenience on a normal day, was now a weakness to his last defence. Bracken rushed over, grabbing the large door on the left side and rolled it on it's track until it blocked the entrance. He secured the latch as he heard the thieves arrive at the main entrance, ramming against the door, trying to force it open. Bracken quickly walked back over, grabbing a net and a harpoon on his way. He stood, waiting for the inevitable. The crashing and banging on the door went silent. Bracken prepared, getting into a fighting stance.

No more than five seconds passed and the door came crashing in on itself, splintering at the hinges. Guild members began rushing inside and Bracken threw the net, trapping a few of them for a moment while he focused on the others. He quickly stabbed his harpoon into ones face as the man closed in from the left. Spinning, he caught one in the knee, snapping any bone the harpoon came in contact with. Bracken turned back to the ones caught in the net and ended their lives quickly with his weapons reach. The first attackers dealt with, Bracken took a glance outside the door, seeing a row of archers taking aim. He slid to the left and the lid off a crate. He barely caught the arrows as he brought the wooden lid up to block his body. A couple of the shots were powerful enough to rip through the wood and stick him in the arm. Bracken looked through the cracks in the planks as he made his way forward. Passing over the body of one his enemies, he bent and grabbed a dagger strapped to the dead mans boot.

He waited for the archers to fire off another round before dropping his makeshift shield and throwing the harpoon into the group. He hit one in the head, dropping the man instantly and charged at the remaining four. They dropped their bows, exchanging them for swords. Bracken hit the first in the chest with his dagger before he had a chance to raise his defences. Spinning the body, he blocked a blow from one of his partners and quickly lunged around, piercing the mans neck. Bracken spun, blocking another sword with his dagger and delivering a kick to the attackers stomach, sending him soaring into the water. The last archer took a chance at Brackens back but he quickly brought his dagger up, cutting clean through the swords blade, and disarming his foe. Bracken threw the useless weapons away as he tackled the man, trowing him to the water with his friend. The remaining thieves fell back, further down the dock.

"A fantastic show my friend! I would love to recruit you but I feel that is out of the question at this point", Bracken quickly turned to his right spotting the source of the voice. His eyes went wide when he saw a man standing at the front of the ship in front of him. Rage coursed through his veins as he stared down Alices father. "You know", the man began again, "When they told me what was going on in Llyn, requesting backup to deal with the problems, I can honestly say I never expected to see you again, dragon". He spat the last words.

Bracken growled, showing his still sharp teeth "Haha! There you are beast" the man laughed. "So why do you fight in this form, huh? You could end us all with your fire". The man gave Bracken a sinister smile. "Ahhhh... the people here don't know your secret do they? You want to be accepted here beast? You don't want these people to see you for who you truly are eh? Your false sense of self will be your undoing". The man began walking back to the centre of his ship. "I want to see that monster break! Open fire".

Brackens eyes went wide as the first cannon fired, destroying part of the dock to his left. He dove back into the warehouse, cannons blowing apart the walls around him. He began running to the far wall, trying to get to the small dock. Blazing pain ran through his arm as he was hit and flung across the room into the crates. Hell rained down around him as he slowly got up and rushed to the edge of the small launch. Bracken dove into the water but he couldn't move his broken left arm to swim away from the chaos above him. He transformed and used his wings to rise up and out of the water. He burst through the surface and flew off across the lake, letting out a pained roar. He wouldn't attack in this form. The port of Llyn was all wood. He wouldn't risk burning down half the town and killing countless civilians to get his revenge.

Tears threatened to roll down his cheeks as he flew, thinking of what would happen to his friends. They would hate him for this. Alice recognized him from that night in the forest. She blamed him for what had happened to her mother, and now he had failed her again. Bracken hated himself for lying. He wanted to be accepted in the human world. He wanted his friends to look at him like family, not a beast. But if he had only told the truth, none of this would have happened. Even if the Smouts had despised him for what he was, he wouldn't have had to take the risks of fighting in a weaker form. He could have ended the guild quickly so long ago if he didn't have to worry about how his friends saw him. Or if they accepted Bracken, maybe he could have taken them away from this town, brought them somewhere safer. His heart hurt and his mind raced as he flew off, away from everything he cared about for the past five years of his life. He knew he couldn't go back to them but he still needed to protect his family. Even if they did hate him, he would never allow any harm to come to them. He filled with rage once more, knowing what he had to do. Bracken turned around, heading for his cave in the mountains. When his arm healed, he would find Alices father. If Bracken couldn't protect them, he would ensure no danger presented itself in the first place. He would join the guild, be their servant on the condition that the Smouts be left alone.

 **Notes**

Thanks again for reading! This is probably the end of the prologue (finally). The first actual chapter will be in Alices POV and will take place 10 years later. It will explain what has happened over the years and whatever but the adventure won't begin just yet. Just kind of like a filler, getting ready for the action, preparing the characters for the journey. I'll do one for her and for Bracken.

So yeah that's it for this chapter. Next one will probably be up friday and then nothing all weekend because I work both days and wont be in the city.

Thanks again and please comment! I need to know if I'm doing an alright job at writing this.

TNSWV


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